12 things to remember about the 2011-12 school year

From championships to concussion awareness

Across Broward County, high school students are finishing exams, celebrating graduations and thinking about summer.

It's the end of another school year and the end of another season of high school sports.

The area's top athletes made headlines across the board, so here — in no particular order — our look back at the year that was … call it the 12 most memorable stories of the 2011-12 school year.

No. 1: The Dillard girls basketball team and the Archbishop McCarthy baseball team experienced rare accomplishments this year, winning their third consecutive titles.

No. 2: American Heritage had another memorable year, capped by a spring that saw the school bring home state titles in softball, baseball and girls track. The baseball team? Still in the running for a national title.

No. 3: It was an amazing year for the Cypress Bay boys soccer team. The Lightning won a second consecutive title and will enter next season riding a 34-match unbeaten streak. They'll also be the defending ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50 national champion.

No. 4: The Florida High School Athletic Association found itself under fire this year and will be implementing new transfer rules mandated by the state legislature. Critics believe the more liberal guidelines will allow high school recruiting to thrive. Time will tell, as the policy goes into effect July 1.

No. 5: Two years after Brandon Knight's graduation, the Pine Crest boys basketball team found itself back in Lakeland and back on the podium as state champions, proving the program's success wasn't solely because of one incredible talent.

No. 6: Shayla Sanders came into the season hoping to lead the Boyd Anderson girls track team to its first state title. That's exactly what the Florida-bound sprinter did while bringing home two individual titles, too.

No. 7: Blanche Ely has always been a Broward County boys basketball power. This year, the Tigers took things to a new level, winning the Class 8A state title, earning a ranking among the nation's top 20 teams and playing in an ESPN showcase.

No. 8: Concussions became a topic of intense debate at every level of sports, including high schools. Both the state legislature and Broward County implemented new concussion management policies, with the county now requiring baseline testing and the state requiring that injured students can only return to play after being cleared by a doctor.

No. 9: The year started in the worst possible way with the death of Miramar football player Isaiah Laurencin, who collapsed at an offseason conditioning workout. But the tragedy was a rallying point for the Patriots, who stormed through the season before finishing as state 8A runner-up with a 13-1 record.

No. 10: Pembroke Pines Charter's softball team has been a state tournament regular for years. But it wasn't until this season that the Jaguars finally broke through as a state champion behind the pitching of ace Cristina Sacramento.

No. 11: It was another big year at St. Thomas Aquinas, where the Raiders won a fifth consecutive boys track title and a second consecutive (and state-record 12th overall) girls soccer championship.

No. 12: Outcry from smaller communities led the FHSAA to create separate urban and rural classifications. That created eight overall classes, leading some to wonder if championship tournaments were too watered down.